KEY POINTS:
HIV sufferers have a new drug which promises to extend their life with drastically reduced side effects.
The drug, branded Isentress, was registered in New Zealand by Medsafe last month and is of greatest benefit to patients with a highly resistant strain of HIV, or whose HIV has gradually developed resistance to existing treatments.
When patients have run out of treatment options the virus attacks their immune system unchecked. As the immune system slowly deteriorates those people become critically vulnerable to infections and diseases.
About 40 New Zealanders have so far been given a course of the drug. To date, the drug's manufacturer Merck Sharp and Dohme have received no reports of side effects.
Older HIV drugs have often brought with them multiple, and sometimes severe, side effects. These frequently include intense nausea, stomach cramps, diarrhoea, raised cholesterol and heart disease.
The company said it expected up to 60 people a year in New Zealand were in high need of Isentress.
First registered for use in the United States in October last year, the drug works by preventing HIV viral DNA inserting into human DNA, blocking the viruses' ability to replicate and infect new cells.
The longest trials of the drug to date have been run over two years and showed the drug retains its effectiveness for that entire period.
Auckland City Hospital infectious diseases physician Dr Simon Briggs said the arrival of the drug was good news for the 2 to 3 per cent of the country's HIV sufferers who had a highly resistant strain of the virus.
Highly resistant strains were generally a symptom of drug courses not being adhered to strictly enough, he said. He believed there were about 20 New Zealanders per year who developed such strains, and received little benefit from existing drugs.
For that reason, doctors would like to see Pharmac approve the drug for funding as soon as possible, he said.
A Merck spokeswoman said it was hoped Pharmac would begin funding the drug by September next year.
People wanting to buy the drug privately before then would pay about $1350 each month, she said.
